1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to compacting devices, and more particularly to apparatus for crushing metal cans.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various equipment has been developed to compact empty metal food and beverage containers. Compacting the containers, which are usually in the form of hollow cylinders having top and bottom closures, is a highly desirable part of the container recycling process.
Compactors for food and beverage containers such as the ubiquitous steel or aluminum cans fall into two general categories. Compactors in the first category are designed to crush the cans in the direction parallel to their longitudinal axis. Examples of that type of compactor may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,446,898; 3,780,647; 4,088,272; 4,168,661; 4,197,796; 4,212,242; 4,228,734; 4,301,722; 4,323,009; 4,333,395; 4,345,520; 4,345,518; 4,394,834; 4,459,908; 4,498,385; 4,550,658; 4,890,552; and DES. 282,076. U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,449 shows apparatus that squeezes a can laterally from opposite sides before it crushes the can axially. The use of the first category of compactors is generally limited to compacting cans made of aluminum.
For containers made of steel, the second category of compactors is usually necessary. Those compactors function to crush the cans in a direction transverse to their longitudinal axis. Examples of the second category of compactors are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,667,386; 4,291,618; 4,292,891; 4,333,397; 4,561,351; 4,653,398; and German patent 1,289,001.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,354 describes a compactor that is capable of crushing both steel and aluminum cans.
Despite the large number of can compactors available, there nevertheless is room for improvements to them.